Building on the reputation of our established flagship undergraduate courses in Physical Education, Sport and Exercise Science, which were the original programmes of their kind in Ireland, in the current academic year PESS has introduced a new BSc in Exercise and Health Fitness Management.
Over recent years, PESS has also developed a suite of innovative taught postgraduate programmes targeted at those seeking further their professional development and career opportunities. Our expanding portfolio comprises of 6 postgraduate programmes which include: a Professional Masters in Physical Education; MSc in Sport Exercise and Performance Psychology (Accredited pathway); MSc in Mental Skills Mental Health in Sport and Exercise (non-accredited pathway); MSc in Applied Sports Coaching; MSc in Sports Performance and this year new Professional Doctorate in Human Performance and Innovation.
Professional Masters in Physical Education (PME) is a full-time two-year initial teacher education programme, which prepares graduates for a professional teaching qualification to enable them to become second level Physical Education teachers. This is a highly sought after programme which attracts a large number of applicants each year.
MSc programmes in Sport, Exercise, & Performance Psychology and Mental Skills and Mental Health in Sports & Exercise are one year, full time companion programmes. These programmes are identical with the exception of entry qualifications and nature of the dissertation supervision and dissertation projects. The Sport, Exercise, and Performance Psychology programme is currently undergoing the accreditation process with Psychological Society Ireland (PSI). Programmes are underpinned by a scientist practitioner model focused on methodological rigour and contemporary psychological approaches (e g applied positive psychology) that cultivate thorough grounding in the knowledge and application of psychological principles to sport, exercise, and performance contexts. Students develop competencies across core components of research methods and skills, professional practice skills, augmented with other taught components in psychological knowledge from multidisciplinary (e g organizational psychology) and interdisciplinary perspectives (e g exercise psychology) that are then integrated across a range of professional contexts. Successful graduates are prepared for a career in applying sport and performance psychology as practitioners or in the use of psychology in supporting other careers, including sports coaching, sports management, rehabilitation, health promotion/public health, and research.
MSc in Applied Sports Coaching is an innovative part-time two-year postgraduate programme designed give experienced coaches the opportunity to enhance their practice through engagement with practitioner leaders and pioneering researchers in the field of sport coaching. Coaches on the programme will form a community of practice, interacting with both practitioner leaders in the field of sports coaching and recognised experts within the UL community. If you attend this programme, your coaching will form the basis for the curriculum: your plans (for sessions; for seasons; for club culture; for long term athlete development), your behaviours (during training sessions and during competitions), your reflections, your philosophy of practice, will all be examined in light of case studies from our external speakers, and the latest research in coaching science and sport science.
MSc in Sports Performance is an award winning full-time (one-year) or part-time (two-year) postgraduate programme. By adopting a multidisciplinary (performance analysis, strength & conditioning, sports nutrition, sports physiology and biomechanics) approach to study sports performance the programme will increase understanding of the processes of advanced practice in sport performance by appreciating and challenging the current practice and designing innovative alternatives. The course is delivered through a range of innovative approaches including problem based learning and will comprehensively prepare successful graduates for a career in sports performance.
Professional Doctorate in Human Performance and Innovation (PD) is a four-year part-time, Level 10 distance-learning programme delivered exclusively through e-learning modalities. This cutting edge programme provides an opportunity for professionals in human behaviour and performance (e.g. sport, business, high level performance, physical activity behaviour and promotion related to health and education sectors) to engage in an advanced doctoral degree characterised by a systematic and multidisciplinary implementation and evaluation of targeted and necessary innovations designed to enhance professional practice. The focus of this programme is to provide experienced practitioners with enhanced skills and knowledge to enabling them to envision, evolve, theoretically substantiate and rigorously evaluate novel innovations beneficial to their specific domains of expertise. The PD recognises that mature practitioners, embedded in professional environments, already have substantial domain-specific knowledge, expertise and experiences. The programme of study is customised to the learning and development needs of the doctoral candidate. The PD route thus offers practitioners a personally tailored programme of study designed to drive implement, evaluate beneficial innovations within their realm of expertise, and serve their future career ambitions.
Why not find out more and register for one of our postgraduate programmes and join our thriving Department which is ranked in the top 50 in the world for ‘Sport Sciences Department and Schools’ in the 2021 Shanghai Global Ranking and in the Top 100 (51-100) ‘Sport-Related Subjects’ in the QS World University Rankings for 2022.
For further information on PESS postgraduate programmes go to the following link: https://www.ul.ie/pess/programmes/postgraduates
Prof Giles Warrington is Head of Department, Physical Education and Sport Sciences (PESS) in the University of Limerick and Professor in Sport & Exercise Physiology . You can contact Giles on email giles.warrington@ul.ie follow him on Twitter or view his profile on LinkedIn
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